Best Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes Yet at the Andaz 5th Avenue

by Gary Leff

I’ve certainly written my thoughts ad nauseam on the Andaz 5th Avenue in New York, my usual go-to for overall combination of price and value, for instance here, here, here, and here. (I promise I don’t write about the place every time I stay!)

I’ll simply add to the pile by noting the first time I’ve gotten a suite here without balcony, I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed that feature before given that I don’t actually spend time outside on it!

I was actually originally assigned a balcony-less suite that was smaller than an XL King (non-suite here), the room didn’t seem to get cell coverage with AT&T. After some initial pushback on assigning a different room (and an offer to buy up to the Presidential Suite), they offered a different suite that worked much better. Though that led to a bit of confusion, the wrong manager’s note delivered to the room, intended for a different guest.

Service recovery though was good, I had a bit of a problem logging into the free internet connection and I got an apology note and comped in-room movies, I didn’t take advantage of it but appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

The suite without balcony’s living room seems a little larger, and of course they still have one of my favorite bathrooms (though during the day opening the bedroom blinds helps a lot if you aren’t shy, as the lighting isn’t the brightest — fine for me, less fine for women applying makeup).

Diamond breakfast, taken as room service, is always an absolute highlight:

No this food wasn’t all for me, it was also breakfast on two separate days; I didn’t clean my plate entirely, but I didn’t go hungry either.. The coffee by the way is really good here.

The lemon poppyseed pancakes were the best I’ve had yet, they’re always my favorite but over time have varied a bit depending on who was doing the preparation I imagine. Best I’ve had, and I’ve ordered them every time I’ve stayed I think

Fortunately, after these breakfasts, @HyattConcierge was prepared with a timely tweet:

Sadly it seems that the advice wasn’t intended for me, their Twitter account was hacked, so I’ll need to strategize elsewhere!

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Pingbacks

  3. […] I’d get free breakfast credit of $75 a day as a Hyatt Diamond at the Andaz 5th which is more generous with the free Diamond breakfast than other Hyatt hotels.  And I really wanted to taste those lemon poppy seed pancakes which Gary raves about! […]

  5. […] My wife and I grabbed some room service breakfast before departing.  Another perk of being a Diamond member at this property is that you can take your free breakfast in your room.  Perfect since we were in a rush this morning.  There was some fruit and granola, a bagel and lox, and Gary’s famously favorite lemon poppyseed pancakes. […]

Comments

  1. Nice! I had that configuration suite a few weeks ago. How much for the Prezzie buy up? 🙂

  2. I love hearing about the lemon poppyseed pancackes!! And I love the Andaz properties (especially London).

    Thanks!

  3. @thesilb they said $250/night which was reasonable but didn’t want it, and I’ve been told that two different suites constitute the presidential suite, i didn’t want the ‘lesser’ one that Lucky was upgraded to a year ago at that price point for sure… 🙂

  4. I liked this property but last year got put in one of those same courtyard facing “Suites” you first got that are smaller than the XL king standard room. And I was with family of four and they just would not budge. Very disappointing experience and have not returned since 🙁

  5. This past December I stayed a night in NYC, and chose this hotel for a number of reasons, including your rave reviews. The stay was spectacular, including a very generous diamond upgrade, and I couldn’t agree more regarding the bathrooms and breakfast.

    Here is my take on these ultra exquisite lemon poppyseed pancakes: they are a slice off the top of the best “breakfast cheesecake” ever. If I didn’t have an omelet and toast on the same tray I would have thought I was in the finest pâtisserie wondering where the rest of the cheesecake was! And the topper for me is that they are browned just before serving.

    By the way, I really appreciate all the great knowledge you so generously share in your blog!

  6. “By the way, the coffee is really good here” – just saying 😉 It’s the editor in me…

  9. I’m sure glad that you clarified those beautiful breakfast trays. Those spreads would feed me for a week! As for the general carachter of the hotel and services, I think we might be getting a little bit pissy here. If you are on a working trip, you won’t spend all that much time in the room and really need little more than CLEAN beds and bathrooms. The subject of hotel amenities has become almost silly, in my opinion, but glad that you are having fun. Again, seriously nice looking breakfasts, but overkill. -C.

  10. Would you mind sending me the recipe for the pancakes? I can try making them first and then compare to the real deal when I next go to New York!

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